Shop Local – Love your Locals - Find it/ Try it /Buy it. These are just a few examples of slogans that we have seen on bumper stickers, Facebook pages, and in newspaper articles, but what it really is about is the commitment to supporting your neighbors and the immediate community you live in.

From your local favorite restaurant, book store, coffee shop, meat market to the school your kids attend to the arts program where they participate in their first play to where you see your doctor. The one thing I truly love about Hockessin, as small as it is, is that you can do ALL of that here!!!

About three years ago I decided to see exactly how local I could keep my money in an effort to support local businesses and I have found that I am now averaging 75 percent of all of my purchases in Hockessin. I hope to increase this in the New Year.

As the owner of The Hockessin Book Shelf and an active member of the Hockessin Businesses Association, I can tell you it makes a difference. For every $100 you spend at one of our local businesses, $68 will stay in the community. Studies have also shown that local businesses donate to community causes at more than twice the rate of chains. Creativity and entrepreneurship are what the American economy is founded upon. Nurturing local business ensures a strong community. So when you plan your errands in the New Year, remember to think LOCAL.